Protective ring for golf club bags

ABSTRACT

A METAL ANNULAR RING TO BE ATTACHED TO THE MOUTH OF A GOLF BAG IS SURROUNDED BY PLASTIC. THE PLASTIC HAS AN EXTENSION THEREON WHICH PROJECTS DOWN FROM THE RING FOR ATTACHMENT TO THE MOUTH OF THE BAG TO ANCHOR THE METAL RING IN POSITION IN THE GOLF BAG MOUTH. THE PLASTIC PROTECTS THE MOUTH OF THE BAG AGAINST WEAR AND THE METAL RING REINFORCES THE STRUCTURE TO PRESERVE THE SHAPE OF THE MOUTH OF THE BAG.

Feb. 16, 1971 L. H. LEGOFF PROTECTIVE RING FOR GOLF CLUB BAGS Filed Aug. 28, 1969 M mm H 3 N A m 7 4 u u Z w WW M 2 ////A/ ///A/// 4 0 A TTORNEYS United States Patent 01 Flice 3,564,586 PROTECTIVE RING FOR GOLF CLUB BAGS Loman H. Le Goff, Morrisville, Pa., assiguor to Acushnet Company, a corporation of Massachusetts Filed Aug. 28, 1969, Ser. No. 853,740 Int. Cl. A63b 55/00 US. Cl. 150-15 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A metal annular ring to be attached to the mouth of a golf bag is surrounded by plastic. The plastic has an extension thereon which projects down from the ring for attachment to the mouth of the bag to anchor the metal ring in position in the golf bag mouth. The plastic protects the mouth of the bag against wear and the metal ring reinforces the structure to preserve the shape of the mouth of the bag.

The present invention relates to a structure which protects the mouth of a golf bag against wear occasioned by the removal and insertion of golf clubs and the frequent droppage of bags during play.

In accordance with the present invention, the mouth of the bag is reinforced by an annulus or ring, preferably metal, which is surrounded by a plastic covering which is in turn used to anchor the metal and the plastic in place at the mouth of the bag. The plastic covering has one or more extensions or legs thereon adapted for attachment to the mouth of the bag to secure both the plastic and the ring in place. The plastic may be any plastic capable of withstanding abrasion, such as vinyl, polypropylene, polyethylene, nylon or the like. The plastic may be molded in one piece around the metal ring or it may be molded in a U-shape and then placed over the metal ring or it may be in the form of a sheet which is bent to shape around the metal ring.

Best results are achieved when the end of the bag at the mouth is provided with both an inner and an outer wall between which the plastic legs are inserted. The plastic legs are secured to the walls of the golf bag by any conventional means such as by sewing to firmly anchor the plastic in place and hold the metal ring in the golf bag mouth. To keep the tight fit of the plastic around the metal ring when the plastic is not integrally molded with the ring, it has been found best to secure the legs of the plastic together just below the ring to more tightly secure the plastic to the ring and force the plastic to conform to the curvature of the ring. In this manner, the strongest construction and most pleasing appearance are achieved.

Referring now to the drawings in which like numerals refer to like parts:

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of the mouth of a golf bag illustrating a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line 22 of FIG. 1 illustrating the constructional aspects of the embodiment of this invention and;

FIG. 3 is a detailed view of another embodiment of the invention.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is seen a golf bag 10 which has a metal ring 12 mounted on the mouth thereof. The metal ring is mounted on the golf bag mouth by surrounding the ring with a sheath of plastic 14 which has outer and inner legs 16 and 18 respectively which extend down from the metal ring. The plastic sheath 14 shown in the drawings is a clear resilient vinyl plastic but may be any plastic suitable for the purpose of resisting 3,564,586 Patented Feb. 16, 1971 abrasion due to the constant removal and insertion of golf clubs in the bag 10.

The plastic sheath 14 as shown in the drawings is molded in known manner in a U-shape which is placed over the metal ring. However, the plastic or the metal ring may be encapsulated within the plastic sheath by molding or extruding the plastic over the metal ring to produce a unitary structure.

The thickness of the plastic depends on the desired life of the plastic sheath and the abrasion resistance of the particular material used. It is well within the skill of the art to select the particular plastic desired and to determine the particular thickness necessary to achieve a given life.

As shown in FIG. 2, the legs 16 and 18 of the plastic sheath extend downwardly between the inner and outer walls 20, 22 respectively of the golf bag mouth. For best results, stitching 24 is used to secure the legs 18, 16 to the inner and outer walls of the golf bag and the stitching helps to force the plastic to conform to the surface of the metal ring. Since stitching is generally used to secure the inner and outer walls of the bag to each other, no additional cost is encountered in securing the legs 16, 18 to the golf bag mouth and the stitching provides a very strong anchor for the plastic and metal ring. For best results, the two legs 16, 18 are also stapled together, preferably close to the metal ring. This keeps the plastic sheath 14 tight around the metal ring during the stitching operation to provide a relatively rigid structure capable of withstanding the abuse ordinarily encountered in use. While not absolutely necessary, the staples or other securing means 26 for the legs are preferred to achieve the best protection for the mouth of the bag and a better looking finish. However, staples may be dispensed with when the plastic sheath is molded integral with the metal ring and only one leg extends below the ring 12 for attachment to the golf bag mouth. Securing means 26 may be covered and concealed by outside wall 22 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3.

As seen in FIG. 2, the legs 16 and 18 of the plastic sheath are about twice as long as the diameter of the metal ring. By making the legs 16 and 18 approximately twice as long as the diameter of the metal ring, the stitching 24 can be applied sufliciently below the metal ring so that the ring does not interfere with the stitching which anchors the plastic legs in the mouth of the golf bag. This also permits some leeways as to where the stitching is applied relative to the thickness of the inner and outer walls 20, 22 of the bag.

As can be readily seen in FIG. 2, the width between the exterior surfaces of the inner and outer walls of the mouth of the golf bag is preferably somewhat less than the combined diameter of the metal ring and plastic sheath 14. Such construction achieves best protection against wear for the golf club bag since the golf clubs will tend only to contact the plastic sheath and not the walls of the golf bag and the plastic and metal ring will tend to protect the mouth of the bag when it is placed on the ground or against a bag rest.

Referring now to FIG. 3 in which there is seen another embodiment of the present invention and in which a plurality of rings 28 are mounted on the plastic sheath near the inner and outer edge of the metal ring 12 to provide added protection against wear. The rings 28 may be made of any material such as common rope, wire, braiding or any other type material and may be made in colors for decorative purposes if this is desired. As shown in the drawing, the rings 28 are embedded within the plastic sheath 14 which holds the ring in place near the inner and outer edges of the metal ring 12. If desired, one ring may be mounted on the plastic sheath 14 above the metal ring 12 for decorative purposes or mounted near the inner edge of the metal ring 12 for protective purpose. Other decorations may be employed in the plastic sheath such as metallic particles arranged in any desired design. Colored plastic may be used for decorating the mouth of the bag.

It will be understood that it is intended to cover all changes and modificaions of the preferred embodiments of the invention herein chosen for the purpose of illustration which do not constitute departures from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. In a golf club bag, the combination comprising a reinforcing member surrounded by a plastic sheath, said plastic sheath having an extension thereon, securing means for anchoring said extension to said golf bag to hold the reinforcing member and plastic sheath in place at the mouth of said bag to reinforce the mouth and protect it from wear, and one or more second rings secured on said plastic sheath to further protect the mouth of the golf club bag against wear.

2. The golf club bag as specified in claim 1 in which said second rings are molded into the said plastic sheath.

3. The golf club bag of claim 1 wherein the second rings are embedded within the said plastic sheath.

4. The golf club bag of claim 1 in which there are two second rings in spaced relationship at the top of the mouth of the bag.

5. The golf club bag of claim 4 wherein said second rings comprise common rope.

6. In a golf club bag having an inner and outer wall in the area at the mouth thereof, the combination comprising a metal ring surrounded by a sheath of plastic, said sheath of plastic having two legs extending therefrom, first securing means for securing said legs to each other at a point below said metal ring, second securing means for anchoring said legs between said inner and outer wall, and at least one second ring mounted on said plastic sheath whereby said plastic sheath attaches said metal ring at the mouth of said bag to protect agains wear.

7. The improvement in the structure of the mouth of a golf club bag which comprises:

(a) a reinforcing member,

(b) a plastic attachment member which covers the reinforcing member and is afiixed thereto by first attachment means,

(c) said plastic attachment member having at least one 41 extension thereon which projects below the top of the mouth of the bag,

(d) second attachment means for securing said extension within the outside wall of the bag to hold at least a portion of said reinforcing member and plastic attachment member above the top of the mouth of the bag to reinforce the mouth of the bag and protect it from wear, and

(e) wherein said first attachment means is covered and concealed by said outside wall.

8. The golf club bag of claim 7 in which the golf club mouth has separate inner and outer walls and in which said extension is placed between said inner and outer walls and is secured therebetween.

9. The golf club bag of claim 8 wherein said attachment member surrounds said reinforcing member and in which said attachment member has two extensions thereon, said extensions being secured to each other by attachment means prior to placing said extensions between said inner and outer walls.

10. A method of making a reinforced golf club bag mouth which comprises the steps of:

(a) covering a reinforcing member with a plastic sheath,

(b) afiixing said plastic sheath in position to cover the reinforcing member, and thereafter,

(c) inserting said plastic sheath into the mouth of a golf club bag, and

(d) securing said plastic sheath and said reinforcing member in the mouth of the bag with at least a portion of said plastic sheath and said reinforcing member being above the top of the mouth of the bag.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,298,786 10/1942 Dubofsky 190.54 2,689,028 9/1954 Hartman l54 2,875,869 3/1959 Friedman 19054 3,331,420 7/1967 Wilkens -1.5 3,477,553 11/1969 Kish 54X DONALD F. NORTON, Primary Examiner U 8. C1. X.R. 29469 

